Storage unit find, where to start. 80 924 with 31,000 miles

[Goebeler]

I have a close friend that is selling me a 1980 924 with 31,000 miles. Brown with light and dark brown interior. The car was driven into his storage building about 7 years or so ago. Turned off and left..

Besides needing a thorough cleaning, fresh battery, and some minor tinkering, I am hoping to get the car back on the road soon.

I am just not sure what is best to do in order to get the car running again after all these years. Guessing draining some fluids, checking fuel tank and or flushing it, not sure what to do first.

I know the car ran great when parked. But that was quite a long time ago. I surely don't want to damage things trying to get it running again.

Any advice on procedures or steps to get running would be great. I am a pretty good parts replacer. Not a mechanic. Hoping to get the car within the next few weeks. It is parked four hours away and dead as a doornail now. Time for a second life!

Thanks for any help or advice!

Goebs

[Slam]

Go to 924Board.org :: Index and search there. This has been covered well.

Drain/flush all fluids, change all filters, new fuel. You may need to degunk the fuel dizzy and flush the tank. CIS hates old fuel but once you've got it tuned it's really dependable.

Congrats on the find and welcome!

[Slam]

924Board.org :: View topic - 77 Restart after 10 Years...

That's a good thread.

[924CarreraGTP]

The tank can be drained by simply pulling the fuel line off of the under side of the tank at the rear. The fuel pump will probably have to be replaced. Some people soak them in cleaners and get them to work. Once you get the tank flushed, fresh fuel, new fuel pump in, and battery, locate and open up the fuel line in the engine bay and put it down in a plastic container. You need fresh fuel in the tank with a 1/4 bottle mix of Berryman's B12 Chemtool. Disconnect the coil from the distributor for safety, and then bump the starter to engage the fuel pump. This will clear the old varnish out of the fuel lines, and fuel filter from back to front. Do it until you get clean fuel in the container. Rather than dismantling the whole fuel system, you could plug the fuel line back in and see if the car comes to life. Plug the coil back in of course. The B12 will clean the fuel system even after the car is running. It will eat paint off of your car body too. So be careful with it. Seafoam is too weak. Use Berryman's. I've seen it dissolve rust... That's the quickest way, but have a fire extinguisher handy when working on fuel systems, and do not smoke. Don't spill fuel on shop lights, etc, or kaboom and emergency room... Worry about making the car run first. Once you get it running then you can start changing the oil, antifreeze, and transaxle fluid. If your fuel pumps or electronics won't work check relays and fuses before wiring. Porsches have fuses and relays for every system. They are simple if you know what to check.
I've gotten cars like this running in a matter of minutes this way.

[Goebeler]

great advice! I will most likely have these parts in hand before the car is picked up.. I am trying to learn process and then where to get parts mentioned in threads I have read.

Sounds like I need a plastic fuel filter for temporary use, the solvent chemical, fuel pump, and possibly four fuel injectors. This seems like a start, besides the battery..

I think I can figure out now how to drain tank. Need to find fuel lines and assume they will be quite obvious. And I think I can find the coil and unplug it from the distributor.

Folks mentioned cleaning the dizzy with carb cleaner. is that worth doing right off the bat or should I deal with that after all of the other steps?

Can't thank you guys enough! Love the advice! It's just too bad none of you live above Chicago so I can have some real help!

[Ky914Newbie]

New injectors are expensive. I recommend sending the current injectors out to be cleaned, refurbished and flow tested at WitchHunter.com.

[Goebeler]

I looked at their site. They mention not servicing CIS systems. I recall seeing that wording somewhere while reading about 924's. The car I am getting isn't a turbo but I am not sure if it is a CIS type of system of not.

Any idea? I shot the company a note asking if they knew as well.

This sure is going to be quite the learning experience ay!

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by Goebeler

I have a close friend that is selling me a 1980 924 with 31,000 miles. Brown with light and dark brown interior. The car was driven into his storage building about 7 years or so ago. Turned off and left..

It is parked four hours away and dead as a doornail now. Time for a second life!

Goebs

4 hours away by car. Cost of gallon of gas? $3.50?

50-60 mph X4 hours = 200 to 250 miles from home?

Get a U Haul and park it in the driveway. Promise the wife it is just temporary-1 or 2 months (years )

Is it a manual trans?

GL
J_AZ

[Goebeler]

We live in Libertyville Il and the car is in Laplace Illinois. Easy drive from here, just due south.

My wife is cool with me doing stuff like this. I have three boys so this keeps them from growing up and not understanding cars besides how you put fuel in the tank and crash them... I have been around and restoring Toyota land cruisers since I was 18 so the family knows I like projects. I just hope this one is doable with my skills. I can replace parts like the best of them, but understanding how things work isn't as simple to me.

The car is a manual and was said to shift perfectly. That was prior to the sitting for all these years. I am assuming that and everything else will be all crapped up. Anxious to see...

[kcoyle]

Originally Posted by Goebeler

The car I am getting isn't a turbo but I am not sure if it is a CIS type of system of not. Any idea?

It's a CIS car. Bosch K-jetronic. Pull the injectors out of the motor, sit em in glass/plastic recepticle, jump the pump, and check for spray pattern and volume. MEasurements should be in the haynes manual.

Here's more than you ever wanted to know about mechanical FI.
Bosch Fuel Injection Systems - Bosch K-Jetronic

This was written for a turbo car but basically the same fuel system.
924Board.org :: View topic - 931 Resuscitation - how to resurrect a long-dead turbo

Get a CIS tester from Dan at ideola's garare before you go buying stuff. It adds up quickly.
Ideola's Garage: Products & Parts for Porsches

Join the twofah board. Good crowd, lots O knowledge. Sorry for your loss on the 930, that's rough.

KC

[mytrplseven]

Take a close look a the tires, too. If there's cracks in between the tread and along the sidewall, plan on getting new ones. These things have a typical service life of 5 to 6 years if they're driven. If they've sat on the tires, they'll take a "set" and may not be safe to drive very far. Good luck with the new find.

[Jrboulder]

Having been through this with a 77 924 I would suggest only doing things that will make it run and once you have it running then work on getting it driving. It may have been parked because of a serious problem. Don't get side tracked with other projects on it.

Drain the gas and put fresh gas in it with a strong shot of seafoam, make sure the cam belt is on there properly, make sure the cap and rotor are good, new plugs, oil change, put some oil in the cylinders, new fuel filter, pull the injectors, put them in a bucket and turn the key to "on". If you raise the air flow plate on some CIS cars (I know the 77 had it) the fuel pump will run and you will get fuel out of the injectors. Run about a gallon of fuel-sefoam mix through it.

You should be good to start after that.

[akaKJB]

Congrats on the awesome find! Really hap[py to see another good looking, low mileage 924 getting back out where it belongs - ON THE ROAD!

[gtroth]

Better do the T belt. Old, dry rubber that has probably taken a set after not moving for that long.

[emoore924]

If it is a n/a (not a turbo) which it sounds like it is, it is a non-interference motor so it won't hurt anything. If the t-belt breaks, retime the motor and put another belt on...

[gtroth]

Didn't realize the 924 NAs were not interference. Good to learn - thanks.

[Slam]

Great points, and I especially agree with Jrboulder: get it running and make it a driving project. Hangar queens end up being parted more often than not.

I just love these cars. They're almost British in their charm. Very different from the rest of the water-cooled Porsche breed. We've had a few...

[924CarreraGTP]

You don't have to remove the injectors or anything. B12 Chemtool will clean the fuel system as it's running. Just don't run old varnish through the fuel lines and into the CIS. The fuel in the fuel distributor evaporated long ago. It's the fuel that lays around and turns to varnish in the 8 feet of fuel lines between the tank and the engine bay that will cause the most problems. You need fresh fuel+B12 run through the lines into a container until it stops being yellow. Then just plug the fuel line back in and give her a whirl. It will run badly at first no matter what, but after a couple of good starts and warm ups with the throttle, you'll know if you need to clean the injectors or not. It might run perfect and you might not need to remove anything. The more you remove, the more you're subject to break. There's a saying where I come from. It's "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Our 928S sat for 9 years. The injectors have never been out of it. I put it on a dyno once and it makes 247hp. That's 7 more than the factories production claim. B12 Chemtool... Use it! The stuff will melt plastic so a little bit of old fuel varnish is nothing. Just don't use too much of it or it will melt your fuel lines. 1/4 of a bottle will get 'er done in 5 gallons of fresh fuel.

[Rasta Monsta]

Sending injectors out for service is cheap and easy insurance. . .far more effective than "mechanic in a bottle."

[924CarreraGTP]

Not trying to go against anyone's idea of how to do something here, just saying. If you send the injectors to Witchhunter, I'm pretty sure all they do is blow them out with an industrial strength solvent (like B12 Chemtool) and then flow test them. They might replace the o-rings and all, but if you don't remove them from the car and get solvent on the o-rings, there is no need to replace the o-rings unless the injector itself is leaking. I'm not talking about that sorry Seafoam crap. I'm talking about B12 Chemtool. It's one of the best industrial solvents on the market. Also, not all of us are mechanically inclined to be able to pull injectors out of cars and replace them. It's just not smart to tell people who have never worked on a Porsche to do that unless your hoping to see more cars left in peoples back yards.